News

LEXINGTON, OH (June 9th, 2012) – Impressive driving and a conservative strategy, aided by a number of cautions, allowed Nick Mancuso and Bret Seafuse to pilot the #16 Multimatic Ford Focus ST-R to a P9 finish in the EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The #15 Focus, piloted by Gunnar Jeanette and James Gue, was not far behind, grabbing P15, despite starting from the back of the field, as a result of an unfortunate qualifying accident. The first shift saw Mancuso start from P9 and maintain a confident top ten position, while Jeanette, starting in P30, came storming through the field, passing ten cars on the first lap. After two well executed pit-stops by the crew, Seafuse and Gue had limited opportunity to improve their positions, due to a number of caution periods and an extremely competitive class. Highlights of the weekend were as follows:

Both cars had similar times throughout practice sessions, running just inside the top ten. In qualifying, Jeanette demonstrated the pace of the Ford Focus ST-R, setting a P4 time in the opening minutes, while Mancuso was P10; P2 through P12 were covered by a second. After a red flag halted qualifying for a few minutes, Jeanette returned to the course to better his position, but, unfortunately, hit a patch of oil not flagged by corner workers and was sent across the gravel and into the tire wall. Considering the speed of the collision, damage to the #15 was fortunately not terminal and with great effort from the team, working late into the evening, it was ready to go for the race. Jeanette was forced to start from the back of the field for causing a red flag in qualifying, turning his P4 into a P30 and Mancuso’s P10 into a P9.

The #16 Focus started in the middle of the extremely competitive field, but Mancuso, a CTSCC rookie, held his own and ran in the top ten for the duration of his shift. The start of the race saw the #15 Focus carve through the field, passing competitors almost every lap. An alternative fuel strategy from the majority of the field, allowed Jeanette to climb as high as P2 before making a late stop for tires, fuel and a driver change. The #16 team opted for the same pit strategy as the leaders and thanks to a good stop by the crew, Seafuse took over in a top ten position.

The #15 car fell back in the field due to the late, out of sequence, pit-stop, but the team was gambling and expected this. They knew that if the race remained green for the majority, that most of the cars ahead would need to pit again, including the #16. The green flag racing they had hoped for never came, thanks to four late cautions, which limited passing opportunities and stifled the #15 strategy. Seafuse brought the #16 across the line in P9 with Gue placing P15. Gue and Jeanette now run 11th in the championship while Mancuso and Seafuse sit 16th, positions they look forward to improving at Road America on June 21-22